


An Arcane Force

by anticyclone



Category: Hidden Legacy Series - Ilona Andrews
Genre: Divination, Getting Together, M/M, Magic, Meddling animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25464907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anticyclone/pseuds/anticyclone
Summary: "That iscoffee," Augustine said, yanking his cup into the air before he had fully registered what it was sniffing at his hand.Some part of his brain must have understood it was Zeus, though, because it wasn't a surprise to look down and see a large blue face at his hip. Zeus's whiskers twitched. Augustine switched his coffee to his other hand.It can be difficult to find time in a busy schedule to actually go on a date, no matter how exciting the idea of going on a date is. Luckily, it's a magical world. That includes semi-cryptic and overly personal predictions when what you were hoping for was guidance on corporate espionage, and a blue tiger-hound pestering you for treats in public. It could happen to the best of us.
Relationships: Cornelius Harrison/Augustine Montgomery
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27
Collections: Rare Male Slash Exchange 2020





	An Arcane Force

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sadlikeknives](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadlikeknives/gifts).



Augustine saw Zeus before he saw Cornelius, although only by thirty seconds.

The party had been going on for more than an hour. Augustine wore a neatly-cut black suit which he'd magicked to appear a deep, dark green. It was noticeable enough that if he needed to drop tonight's illusion and walk through the crowd unnoticed no one would think twice about not having seen him earlier. Not that he intended to need a backup plan, but the party wasn't his and there were only so many factors he and his people could control without being in charge of arrangements.

He had gotten close enough to his target for the evening to begin a serious conversation. Daneen Fathi, of House Fathi. A small House prone to producing Primes and Significants with very specific talents. Not well-known or overly connected in Houston. Mostly because it didn't need to be. House Fathi was also a House with an investment base solid enough that its members could afford to be selective when accepting jobs.

If Augustine had been prone to bragging, he would have said that his conversation with Daneen had thus far been going splendidly. But of course - if you asked him - Augustine was not prone to bragging.

Still, things were going at least well enough to accept an appetizer from a passing waiter. Something with cheese.

Augustine had listened to the description, but couldn't remember it, because Zeus was now at his feet and staring up at him with turquoise gem eyes.

"This isn't for you," he said, reflexively, while next to him the geomancer froze in undisguised terror.

The frill of tentacles around Zeus's head rippled in a counterclockwise wave. The turquoise eyes grew even wider. Zeus's lips opened the slightest of inches, enough to see a dense forest of teeth perfectly sized for the enormous mouth they happened to be in.

If it wouldn't have blown Augustine's cover, he would have said, _Clearly, Cornelius has been starving you._

Cornelius appeared before he could've spoken, anyway, blue eyes wide. His chest moved up and down and his lips were parted so he could draw in deep breaths - he must have as close to _ran_ across the ballroom as he could without panicking security. He was dressed in one of his black suits, with a blue shirt so dark it made his eyes look even brighter than they usually did.

This was not the sort of detail Augustine should have been noticing. It wasn't the time.

"I am incredibly sorry for this," Cornelius said, laying his hand on top of Zeus's head. Chastened, the tentacle frill collapsed against the great cat's fur. "Zeus knows better than to … approach strangers," he explained, faltering as he met Augustine's eyes.

Internally, Augustine sighed.

Across the room, Rogan had started walking toward them. Augustine could tell because of the way the crowd flinched back at his approach. As much of a disaster as it would mean for his work tonight, it was tempting to simply turn and leave. Shaking Rogan would take up so much effort. He'd already devoted more energy than he had planned just avoiding the man.

But he needed to salvage this moment. Both for Cornelius's sake and to calm the geomancer down.

"It's all right," he said. He held up the toothpick with the appetizer on it and smiled. "Can he have a treat?"

Cornelius stared at him. Zeus shuffled hopefully forward, until Cornelius put his hand on Zeus's head again. "Thank you for understanding," he said. "And offering. But no, I think Zeus is better off without any treats this evening."

"Maybe next time," Augustine said, dismally aware that he was committing himself to sneaking Zeus a treat. 

That was, as long as Cornelius didn't kill him once he found out who the oddly accommodating stranger had been.

Several small groups of chatting Houston elite - who were absolutely intent on their conversations, and not at all watching the extra-dimensional tiger-hound stare mournfully up at his handler - stepped aside. Rogan emerged from the crowd like a tank in a tuxedo. Blue eyes flicked across Augustine's unfamiliar face, dismissed it (ha!), and moved to assess Zeus and Cornelius.

"Everything all right here?" Rogan asked.

"We're fine. I'm sorry, again," Cornelius said. He glanced at Augustine and hesitated.

The next smile Augustine gave was easier. Later he would get to inform Rogan he'd lost this battle in their long-standing war and collect his five dollars.

For now he inclined his head. "No apologies are necessary."

Reluctantly, Cornelius returned the smile. "Thank you. Zeus, follow me," he ordered. He turned and waited for Zeus to do the same before turning to leave with Rogan at his other side.

"I thought you said you fed him," Rogan muttered under his breath, as they began to walk away.

"I did," Cornelius answered, firmly. "He's being greedy."

Zeus let out a little grumble and bumped his head against Cornelius's hip.

Yes. Cornelius was definitely not going to be happy. Augustine would have to handle that explanation carefully.

He turned back to Daneen, who had pressed a hand over her heart and looked startled to discover that there was alcohol in her drink when she absently pressed her glass to her lips. Zeus hadn't been overly threatening and the fear didn't seem warranted, but Augustine wasn't trying to recruit her to give treats to random Summoned creatures. He was trying to acquire an expert in a very unique divination method. Who he should perhaps ensure didn't encounter anything particularly upsetting.

Anything _else_ particularly upsetting.

"Why don't we go outside?" he asked. "I believe there's going to be a woodwinds performance in the garden."

"Yes. That - that sounds agreeable."

It would have been more agreeable if, after convincing her to accept payment for a brief reading in a secluded corner of the garden, Daneen's predictions for the next month had been more positive. And included fewer cryptic remarks about his personal life.

Daneen looked up at him and shrugged apologetically. She'd crouched down, swept her long skirt to the side to avoid getting it too dirty, and adapted a hairpin to make her requisite chart in the dirt.

It was nonsense to Augustine, but House Fathi had a proven track record for divination.

He still wanted to take off his glasses and rub his temples.

"I admit that I haven't seen anything exactly like this before," Daneen said, which was oh so encouraging, "but the chart is clear. An unexpected arcane force will have a significant impact on your romantic life in the near future. Or present. To be honest there isn't much of a difference when the signs are this close."

This wasn't the news he had been looking for. And it wasn't news he knew how to take. There had been certain… personal things… he knew he needed to attend to, sooner rather than later, or they would slip by to missed opportunities.

But that outstanding matter had nothing to do with arcane magic.

"I have no reason to suspect any arcane forces are out to get me," Augustine said.

Daneen brushed her hair pin off on her skirt and rose back up to her full height. "The reading didn't say it would be a negative impact. Just significant. And it's typical for _any_ arcane influence to drown out other events in a querent's life. The magical power they contain is either too powerful or too foreign for more mundane happenings to break through. It's why I don't do readings for arcane mages." She paused and tucked her hair pin into a hidden pocket of her skirt. "Are you sure you don't have someone in your … immediate circle who practices arcane magic?"

In lieu of an answer, Augustine hummed under his breath. "Thank you for your assistance, Ms. Fathi. May I escort you back to the party?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Bell."

***

Cornelius collapsed on his bed and said "No" before Zeus had even whined. It just made Zeus whine louder, but Cornelius was (mostly) immune. Zeus might be a semi-psychic animal from another dimension, and the soul bond they shared was both true and deep, but he was still a great cat. Mostly. Also kind of a hound. The point was that Matilda's white housecat had thousands of years of 'manipulating humans' in her DNA, and she beat Zeus out by a mile when it came to things like getting on furniture she wasn't technically supposed to be on.

Zeus waited to see if the whining had the desired effect. When it didn't, he grumbled and lay down on the floor. In his bed in the corner of the room, Bunny sighed and buried his snout under a blanket.

It had been a few years since Zeus joined the household. Cornelius was sure that, eventually, the tiger-hound would begin taking more cues from the domesticated animals. For now he was enjoying the peace of Zeus thinking he knew best.

The party had been over for more than an hour. It had taken most of that time to call Nevada and get home, though, so it felt like Cornelius had just stepped outside. He rubbed his hands over his face. It had been a simple job. Try to intercept a divination mage and tell her the host of the party had poor intentions in trying to hire her. It had been so simple, in fact, that they hadn't had to do anything at all. Someone else had walked off with the divination mage first. Daneen Fathi had then gone home early.

He wished he'd been able to go home early. Matilda was having a sleepover at Diana's, but it would have been nice to come home and sit with the animals before he was so tired all he wanted was the bed.

"Zeus," Cornelius sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

Zeus thumped his tail on the floor.

"Yes, I know. But scaring Ms. Fathi was not the way to go about it. And I don't believe that's what your aim was." Cornelius propped himself up on his elbows. He leaned over so he could see the floor next to the bed. Zeus looked up at him with wide eyes. "We have talked about this. If you are hungry, you can ask family for help. _Family._ Not strangers in the middle of a crowded place."

It had been… unpleasant. The dark-haired, dark-eyed man Zeus had gone begging treats from had been extraordinarily understanding. (Almost unsettlingly so.) That was the only thing that had kept Cornelius from marching Zeus out of the party immediately. That and needing to show Rogan that he did have control over his companion animal.

Zeus rumbled. He sat up, stretching his front legs, and rested his head on the nightstand. He was so tall it meant he had to lean down slightly.

Next to Zeus's head, Cornelius's cell phone rang.

"We are not done speaking about this," Cornelius warned Zeus. He picked up the phone. "Hello?"

_"Do you have a moment?"_ Augustine asked.

As usual, there was nothing to his voice but refined ease. No impatience. No demand, even. It was a genuine request though it lacked any hint of what might be behind it. Cornelius was the last to say that he was good with people, but even he knew that most people would have texted that question before calling. Or assumed the answer from the simple fact of Cornelius answering his phone at quarter past midnight.

"Yes," Cornelius said, anyway, sitting up so he could settle against the headboard.

_"I need to… explain something,"_ Augustine said.

If Cornelius hadn't been listening for it, he wouldn't have caught the slight hesitation in the words. The last time he'd seen Augustine had been over a week ago. They'd run into each other at the Assembly. Neither of them had enough time to do more than chat in the elevator.

Cornelius said, "Oh?" as neutrally as he could.

The time before the last time he'd seen Augustine, he'd asked if Augustine would be interested in trying dinner at a new restaurant downtown. It was supposed to be good. It was also close to MII. Cornelius had noticed it the last time he'd been waiting for Nevada to get out of a meeting with Augustine. He'd thought about the invitation for a long time, and carefully waited for a casual moment when they'd both been passing through Nevada and Rogan's house before offering it.

Augustine had stared at him - Cornelius had a difficult time determining these kinds of things, but he thought that the stare had gone on for a moment too long - and then said yes. He would _'call when I know an available evening.'_

This was the first phone call Cornelius had gotten. It'd been nearly three weeks.

_"I had to wait until you were home to call. I apologize for the delay, but I didn't want Rogan to overhear this. Tonight, Zeus asked for food from a stranger at the House Lockwood party. I wanted to assure you there is no cause for concern regarding his training. I was attending the gathering in a professional capacity. Zeus must have recognized me."_

That explained some things and left a lot of other questions. Without turning his head, Cornelius looked down at Zeus.

Zeus purred until Cornelius reached over to scritch between his ears.

Augustine waited a moment before adding, into the silence, _"I admit it isn't ideal that Zeus left your side, but I promise I in no way encouraged him. I hope that my reaction was calibrated enough to smooth over any difficulties. If Rogan gave you a hard time, please allow me to handle it."_

"Augustine," Cornelius said. Zeus lifted his head and bumped Cornelius's hand. Cornelius absently scratched underneath his chin. "Do you have people watching my house?"

Another silence. This one lasted longer than a moment.

"You said you waited for me to get home to call. I only walked in my front door ten minutes ago," Cornelius explained. Zeus purred a low, deep rumble. In the corner, Bunny woke up and yawned at them in the pointed way only a sleepy dog could.

_"I did have security monitoring the party,"_ Augustine said.

He was so precise. Even when he wasn't speaking with Nevada.

"I stopped at one of Rogan's offices. I didn't come straight home. How did you know I was back?"

_"...Are you not concerned about Zeus?"_

Personal things were difficult. It all seemed so easy when it was work. When Nevada was with him, telling him things like 'People change the subject when they find the answer to a question uncomfortable.' Cornelius drew his hand back into his lap. Zeus sighed and laid down on the floor. It was so easy to say to himself that what he was seeing must be what was happening.

But this _was_ Augustine. What you saw was rarely what you got.

There could be another explanation. An explanation not linked at all to why his dinner invitation had been dropped. Augustine was just as if not more paranoid than Rogan, and Cornelius knew for a fact that Rogan kept him loosely monitored for various reasons, including making it easy for Nevada or Catalina to contact him in emergencies. Augustine could simply be worried that Cornelius might secretly be plotting to betray everyone to nefarious and underhanded forces.

And maybe Cornelius needed to cut down on watching cartoons with Matilda.

He took a breath and said, casually, "I guess you could have a tracker on my car."

_"I have not placed a tracker on your car. That would be a major breach of your privacy,"_ Augustine said, instantly.

Despite himself, Cornelius smiled. "Okay."

Augustine sighed.

Cornelius decided to cut him a break. He wasn't getting anywhere, anyway, and the refusal to answer was an answer in and of itself. That much, at least, was obvious. "Thank you for calling. Zeus is still in trouble," he said, mostly for Zeus's hearing, "but things make more sense now. And Rogan didn't give us that much trouble about it."

_"I'll talk to him."_

It wasn't worth protesting. Getting in between Rogan and Augustine was something not even Nevada wanted to do, unless there was property damage involved. Watching it from afar was always sort of fascinating, though. Like an alternate universe where an Adam Pierce with a moral compass might have cared about things because Cornelius cared about them. Rogan could almost certainly kill Augustine if he wanted to, and Augustine must have known it, but he never seemed to worry about it that much.

Before he could think twice, he heard himself asking, "Is that… all you called to talk about?"

Smooth, Cornelius. Smooth.

Augustine said, softly, _"Things have been… hectic, recently."_ He hesitated. _"I haven't forgotten."_

"Okay," Cornelius said, because it was two syllables, and he could manage two syllables.

_"Also, I owe Zeus a treat now."_

Despite himself, Cornelius smiled. "Zeus may not be allowed treats for a while," he said. That earned him a tiger-head hound resting on his leg, and the most pathetic turquoise-gem eyes in the dimension looking up at him.

_"I'll have to be surreptitious about it."_

***

"You owe me five dollars."

Rogan came to a halt just inside the door of Augustine's office. He had not been invited, but all of Augustine's assistants had standing orders to simply alert him if Rogan entered the building. Keeping him waiting or trying to hold him off was fruitless. If necessary, it was a better use of time to adopt a new illusion and walk out a side door. Augustine had only done that once since they'd begun speaking again. Sometimes Nevada still brought it up when she wanted to make herself laugh.

Rogan frowned and his eyes flicked back and forth, like he was mentally reading a list of all the places he'd been since he'd last 'seen' Augustine.

Finally he asked, "When?"

"Last night, the party at House Lockman." Augustine would never be so crass as to hold out his hand, but he did tap his pen against his desk. "Pay up."

Grumbling, Rogan took out his wallet and began shaking coins onto the desk. Augustine glared at him over the tops of his glasses. Rogan ignored him in favor of pushing piles of pennies, dimes, and nickels together.

"Why do you even have this much change?"

"Who were you?" Rogan countered. He dug a quarter out of the edge of his wallet, and shook out a few more pennies, but that only brought him up to three dollars.

Augustine watched him lay down a few bills next to the coins. "I suppose I can use this to buy Zeus the treat I owe him."

Rogan tucked his wallet away. "That answers a lot." He smiled slowly. "He was too far away to scent you in that crowd. That must mean he can see straight through your illusions."

"Purposefully using outside help, including animals, is cheating."

"The only reason I didn't catch you is because I was distracted thinking Zeus had tried to eat a person," Rogan said, ignoring the comment. He pushed forward one of the chairs opposite Augustine so he could sit and rest both his elbows on the desk. "Harrison was freaked. He made some comment about getting a collar and a leash. Have you heard Zeus whine?"

"No," Augustine said.

Rogan said, "Can crack glass. How mad was Harrison when you told him?"

"My conversations with Cornelius are none of your business." Augustine made a note on his paperwork. Cornelius had been so focused on - on other things, during the phone call, and Augustine hadn't anticipated any of it. Clearly he should have tried harder to get the conversation back on topic. He needed to get back to the issue of clearing his schedule sooner rather than later - once Rogan was out of his office, anyway. "What did you actually come here to speak with me about?"

Rogan telekinetically tugged the pen out of Augustine's grip. When Augustine reached for it, he lifted it into the air above both their heads. The pen hovered and tumbled in a slow arc. Augustine's fingers itched to make another grab for it, but that would be undignified. Also, he knew from experience that it wouldn't work. He folded his hands together and set them on his desk instead.

A crease had appeared between Rogan's eyes. "Did you have a stupid fight?"

Augustine stared. Rogan tapped the top of Augustine's head with the pen, and Augustine blinked. "What?"

"With Harrison. Did you have a stupid fight?"

"Did we have a - No! Why would you ask that?" Augustine flattened his illusion around his face. He had been very careful not to discuss this … thing with Cornelius, with Rogan. Rogan's idea of romantic advice was 'decimate Houston's carnation supply' or 'offer to take the object of your affection away from their family.'

Okay. Perhaps that was uncharitable. But Augustine made sure it didn't show on his face.

And he liked Matilda. She was sweet, and she thought he was funny.

"Because half the time when Harrison looks at his phone, it's you, and he barely looked at his phone last night," Rogan said. The worst of it was how reasonable he sounded. Usually, if Rogan was lying to him, he was completely flat - or smirking. Now he just wore an impatient expression, as if he'd expected Augustine to already know this.

Which was ridiculous.

"I'm sure Cornelius gets messages from people who aren't me."

"Sure." Rogan shrugged. "Nevada. And Matilda has that kid phone now."

"If you have nothing constructive to talk about, please get out of my office."

The pen dropped onto the desk.

"Fine," he said, and began to leave.

Which made Augustine realize something. "Rogan, wait."

Rogan turned back to face him, eyebrows raised. He'd only walked two steps.

Augustine spread his hands. "Why did you come here?"

The hum Rogan gave in response was, surely, not a cover up for having forgotten why he'd come there. He crossed his arms over his chest. It made his muscles shift and would have been quite impressive if Augustine cared even a tiny little bit. He said, "At Lockwood's party, there was a divination mage we needed to talk to. Lockwood was trying to hire her for something and wouldn't stop griping because somebody else walked off with her first. We couldn't ID the person in question. Nevada told me to ask if you knew him."

Smirking would be unsportsmanlike, so Augustine did not. He did twirl his pen around in his hand. "Happy to have helped."

"Did you get your fortune read?" Rogan asked, dryly.

"Yes. Ms. Fathi told me to expect a peaceful and uninterrupted month."

Rogan wasn't much of a sportsman, so he did smirk. "Let me know what that's like."

***

Again, Augustine saw Zeus before he saw Cornelius, although only by thirty seconds.

"That is _coffee,_ " he said, yanking his cup into the air before he had fully registered what it was sniffing at his hand.

Some part of his brain must have understood it was Zeus, though, because it wasn't a surprise to look down and see a large blue face at his hip. Zeus's whiskers twitched. Augustine switched his coffee to his other hand.

This time it was early afternoon. Instead of a party, Augustine was walking through a tiny cluster of restaurants and boutiques near a much larger cluster of skyscrapers in downtown Houston. He wore his own face and a blue suit that he had no reason to camouflage. He'd just come from a meeting that could have been an email, and the coffee was his reward to himself for not turning invisible halfway through the hour. Technically it was too much caffeine for the time of day, but he'd be lying to himself if he acted as if he'd be going to bed at a reasonable hour.

"I am sorry for this, although I know how that must sound," Cornelius said, behind him.

Augustine turned around. That put his coffee back above Zeus's head, and Zeus nudged his wrist until Augustine put the cup in his other hand again.

"Zeus," Cornelius said, firmly.

Zeus lowered his head and walked back to Cornelius, his tail swiping back and forth across the ground. Cornelius rubbed a hand over his face as Zeus circled to sit behind him. It gave Augustine a brief, unwatched moment in which to appreciate the fact that Cornelius was wearing a light sweater that was a bit snug across his chest instead of one of his usual button-up shirts.

Then Cornelius dropped his hand to his side. He looked tired, and a little ruffled. His hair had been mussed by the afternoon's cool breeze and he hadn't bothered to smooth it down. "I'm sorry," he said again. "He knows he's allowed to approach family in public, and he enjoys surprising people."

"There's no need to apologize," Augustine said.

Then what Cornelius had said replayed itself.

He asked, "Sorry. What was that?"

Now Cornelius's face was tinged red. He glanced down at Zeus, who was washing his paw. "It's… difficult to explain."

"Ah," said Augustine, neutrally. His ribcage felt tight.

It was foolish. Cornelius had invited him to dinner. There was no reason to be sneaking glances like he might be caught at it, or fumbling like a schoolboy because neither of them knew how to react to Zeus treating Augustine like a member of the Harrison household. If it was awkward, it was only because Augustine had made it awkward. He still hadn't fully accepted that dinner invitation. Augustine had gotten distracted after Rogan had left his office the other day and he'd managed to forget about fixing his schedule. Again.

And now neither of them were speaking. Wonderful. He had to say something.

He just wished that he had come up with something better to say than, "What are the two of you doing here?"

It didn't make Cornelius wince, though. (Zeus did pause cleaning his paw to peer skeptically at him. It felt skeptical, at least.) "Linus asked us to lunch," Cornelius said. He didn't use the word 'summoned,' but the half-smile on his face made that much understood. Linus Duncan didn't simply ask for company.

"Us?"

"Catalina's spoken to him about Zeus, and he was surprised he hadn't yet been introduced," Cornelius said.

Augustine's eyebrows rose.

"Yes, I know," Cornelius sighed. "I should have known better than to try avoiding it."

Augustine had never asked exactly how Linus Duncan and Cornelius knew each other. He knew it had something to do with Linus and Cornelius's parents being close, but that was the extent of the gossip he'd been able to compile. He hadn't seriously looked into it. Appearing on Duncan's radar was not something he was interested in, and he assumed that if it became important enough, Cornelius would tell him about it on his own.

"You got in a good run," Augustine said, conciliatory. It made Cornelius laugh. "You did! Over four years."

"Yes. And now I get to have lunch and explain how I was too busy to mention I acquired an arcane companion from another dimension for four years," Cornelius said.

"Best of luck with that," Augustine said. He took a sip of coffee and sank an extra sliver of magic into keeping his face neutral.

"I'll probably need it," Cornelius said. He touched Zeus's head. If he noticed that Zeus had been staring straight at Augustine, he didn't comment on it. "I'll let you know how badly we were grilled later. Follow me, Zeus. We're going to be late."

Augustine nodded. They walked past him into the courtyard for the shopping center. As they passed, Zeus brushed up against Augustine's side. Augustine stilled.

_An unexpected arcane force,_ Daneen had said.

Oh, damn it.

"Cornelius?"

Cornelius stopped and turned his head. Zeus walked in a circle around his legs.

"Would Friday evening work for you?" Augustine asked. "For - for that dinner?"

The smile Cornelius gave him was small, but he thought about it for the rest of the week.

***

"He's very charming."

"He would very much like some of your steak," Cornelius said. "Zeus. Sit."

Zeus made a show of leaving Linus's side, where he had been getting ear scritches, to circle around behind Cornelius's chair and sit next to it. If he had fit underneath it, he probably would have laid down there. Instead he crossed his paws and rested his head on the arm of Cornelius's chair. The sigh he gave had a sense of utter despair to it, only matched by similar ones from Bunny, who was at the house this afternoon.

Linus smiled. "Are you sure I can't give him any?"

"Zeus knows perfectly well what manners are required in public and which ones a cute face can try to break."

"That's a no, then," Linus said. He ate the last piece of steak he'd cut himself.

They were sitting in the back corner of a small restaurant. The decor was warm and cozy. Red stone floors and dark wood benches. Large framed photographs on the walls that looked like they were from family vacations. The restaurant was near a lot of busy office buildings. It should have been more packed at this time of day. Instead, the several tables nearest them were empty of diners. If Cornelius didn't know any better he would have said that people walked in, saw Zeus, and decided to eat somewhere else.

But he did know better. Linus had chosen the location. He must have also called ahead to warn the proprietors about Zeus, and had probably paid to cover the cost of losing business at the empty tables.

"How is Matilda these days?"

"She's doing well. Diana is trying to encourage her to take piano lessons, but Blake keeps sending over art supplies, and she's more interested in those."

"A piano takes up some room, too. What kind of art is Matilda making?"

Cornelius talked for a little about Matilda's experiments with pastels - which he was sure Blake had sent as revenge for Cornelius once drawing on his bedroom door. There was now a life-size outline drawing of the fluffy white cat on one of the kitchen walls. Cornelius had no plans to clean it up. He was sure that Nari would have found it sweet. A lot of the things Matilda did made him think that. It still hurt. But it also made their home feel whole.

He asked Linus how retirement was treating him and smiled at the familiar refrain of how it wasn't technically retirement and how Linus had never been busier.

Eventually their plates were empty, but instead of asking for the check Linus ordered dessert for the both of them. Pecan pie. The crust was golden and crumbled against Cornelius's fork as he methodically carved off a single bite.

"Catalina tells me Augustine Montgomery's been helping look after Matilda."

Cornelius went very still. Pie crust fell off the edge of his fork. "Sometimes."

Linus didn't say anything else. He ate a bite of pie instead.

Well. Cornelius had always been, in the words of Christina Pierce, 'at a natural deficit of manners.' And it was difficult for him to understand all the social nuances that people who weren't animal mages seemed to pick up on so effortlessly. It had gotten easier, after Nari, and working with Nevada hadn't hurt either. Any other person - especially someone raised in the magical mire of Houston's Houses - would have filled the silence. But Cornelius was just himself, and even Linus Duncan didn't expect him to never act like an animal mage.

He ate his own pie in companionable silence. He didn't try to fill it. It didn't bother him. Not having to puzzle out exactly what Linus was trying to ask was a relief.

Linus was the one who couldn't take the quiet anymore. "You must be quite close."

"Augustine is a friend. And he helped raise his siblings. He's good with children."

"I don't know him, not personally," Linus said. He put his fork down. Cornelius did, too. Linus's expression had gone quiet and serious. His eyes searched Cornelius's face. "He's treating you well?"

Cornelius did not smile. He said, carefully, "Augustine is a good friend. I trust him."

For another moment Linus just looked at him. Then he said, "You know that if you or Matilda need me, you can always call."

"Yes," Cornelius said. "I appreciate it."

"I just want to see you happy, my boy."

Ah. So it was that sort of a conversation. Not a conversation he particularly wanted to have with Linus, at least not before he'd had it with Augustine himself, but at least the afternoon made more sense now. It felt like the ground had gotten steadier beneath Cornelius's feet.

Speaking of, Zeus shifted his weight to rest his head on Cornelius's shoes.

"I appreciate that, too," Cornelius told Linus. "I am. I promise."

***

Augustine looked mildly horrified. "What did you say?"

"I told Linus I trusted you."

Augustine's expression shifted back and forth between 'flattered' and 'still mildly horrified.' Cornelius felt only a little bit guilty for enjoying it.

He'd started paying more attention, a year or so ago. It had occurred to him that maybe he should be surprised an Illusionist Prime showed so much on his face. But after some measure of observation, he'd realized it wasn't that Augustine wore his emotions openly. It was just that around people he liked, he relaxed, and the wall of his illusion thinned away somewhat.

Cornelius would readily admit to himself that he enjoyed being one of the people Augustine liked. He didn't feel guilty about that at all.

The restaurant was nice. It was quiet. The decor was sleek and modern, and despite being a large space all the booths were tucked between walls that made the crowded interior feel relatively private. It meant they couldn't see the door, but Augustine didn't seem worried. Cornelius had the feeling that there were MII staff outside the building. Additionally, Talon was in a tree outside, and Cornelius would feel his upset if anything started to happen.

Zeus was at Diana's, with Matilda. Cornelius didn't want to assume anything, but he also didn't want Zeus getting a mind to interrupt if Augustine ended up coming home for coffee after dinner.

The dinner itself was also good. Probably. Cornelius had been paying attention to other things.

"Linus Duncan is a dangerous man," Augustine finally said.

"He's also a family friend." Cornelius took a sip of his water.

"Who you avoided informing about Zeus for four years," Augustine pointed out. The corners of his mouth had turned up. His green eyes glinted behind his glasses.

Since Cornelius had so much fun telling Augustine that Linus had asked after him, he supposed he could hardly be mad about the glint. He said, deadpan, "It never came up," and smiled to himself when it made Augustine laugh.

"How did Linus take that?"

"He said that I had better excuses when I was five."

Augustine tilted his head. "What excuses did you need to make to Linus Duncan when you were five?"

Lying was a skill. It had been one Cornelius had needed in excess for a very long time. Meeting Nari had changed that. Matilda had changed it more. Adults had told a lot of lies around Cornelius as he grew up, and he hadn't wanted to replicate that. It had been an anchor after losing Nari, even more so than getting to know Nevada. Illusion magic was a kind of lie. Being a Prime meant lying for necessity's sake - or at least, he knew that was what Augustine would say.

Lying was not a skill Cornelius wanted to keep sharp.

"Typical things. Who broke the blue crayon. Whether I'd eaten my sister's Halloween candy." He lifted and dropped his shoulders just slightly. "But most of the trouble I got into as a child was because of Adam Pierce."

Augustine's expression froze, briefly. It was like watching a video pause. Then he blinked, and the life came back to his face. His eyes were serious.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That was thoughtless of me."

Cornelius touched his fork and then put his hand back in his lap. "It's okay. That wasn't how Linus meant it, either. Sometimes I think it's nice to be able to just say it. House Pierce is still too powerful for casual discussion, but I can talk to my sister. Or Nevada." He looked up to see that Augustine was still watching his face. "You."

"Yes," Augustine confirmed. "Any time."

Cornelius leaned forward. Augustine's expression grew intent. That hadn't been Cornelius's intention, but being on the focused end of Augustine's attention wasn't anything to complain about. "Then you won't think any less of me for saying that I hope Adam is very, very cold in Alaska."

The corner of Augustine's mouth twitched. He tamped down on the smile and said, gravely, "I can look into that for you."

Cornelius laughed. It loosened something in his chest.

Augustine added, his voice soft, "I could never think less of you."

That did something inside Cornelius's chest, too. He wanted to reach across the table, but Augustine's hands were in his lap.

"Besides," Augustine said, reaching up to move his glass over half an inch, his eyes falling so Cornelius couldn't see directly into them anymore, "my handling of the Adam Pierce incident doesn't exactly enhance my reputation. I arranged things hoping he would give up and his House would handle the matter internally. I'm sure Nevada has informed you."

Cornelius considered his response for a moment. "It wasn't the best use of your resources. But even I wouldn't have guessed exactly what Adam was up to." He shrugged. "I'm glad you weren't hurt."

Augustine half-smiled at him.

"Let's talk about something else." Complaining about Adam could be nice, but if they kept on this route, he was going to admit that he wished Rogan had killed Adam after all, and that was hardly date talk.

"Okay," Augustine agreed. He sat up a little straighter. "Did you really eat your sister's Halloween candy?"

Cornelius snorted. "No comment."

"My siblings are young enough that I used to be in charge of taking them trick or treating." Augustine smiled. Not for Cornelius, but just reflexively, the way he did on the still-uncommon occasions he discussed his family. It was one of Cornelius's favorite smiles. "I'm sure we had people tracking us, but I took the responsibility very seriously."

"As a youngest sibling, I have to ask: Did you inspect their candy after?"

"Of course." Augustine raised a perfect eyebrow. "Someone had to remove the suspicious items."

"I'm sure the fact that all of the peanut butter cups were suspicious was just coincidence."

"I prefer sour candy, but yes. Total coincidence."

At the end of the meal, Cornelius briefly excused himself to the restroom only to return and find that Augustine had paid the check in his absence. It would have somehow been more annoying if Augustine hadn't seemed so pleased about it. His eyes were bright and his mouth pressed into a closed-lipped smile. Like he hadn't expected to get away with it and was expecting Cornelius to make a comment.

Cornelius sat down next to him instead of dropping back into his own seat. Augustine looked at him, and Cornelius covered Augustine's hand with his. "I suppose you had that planned."

Augustine casually turned his hand to cup Cornelius's. "It was in the back of my mind."

"I am the one who invited you out," Cornelius reminded him. "I picked the restaurant and everything."

"And I'm the one who took a month to accept," Augustine said, dryly.

Cornelius swept his thumb against Augustine's hand. "That's true."

"Did you have a nice time?" Augustine asked it lightly, a smile on his face, but his hand had also tightened slightly, around Cornelius's. It felt nice. It felt like being held.

"Yes," Cornelius said. "I did."

Augustine hesitated, and then asked, "Would you like to come over? For a drink?"

Now that was a surprise. Cornelius tried to keep from showing it on his face and probably failed, but he thought Augustine would understand. Augustine had been over to their house, of course. Most of the time while Matilda was there. But Cornelius still hadn't been to Augustine's home. He didn't even know what it looked like. He thought about it for half a second. The animals had been fed, and would be fine by themselves for a while. Matilda was with family and there were no pressing morning obligations. If he was lucky - if, well, if necessary, he could text Diana to go to the house in the morning to give everyone breakfast on his behalf.

He shouldn't get ahead of himself.

He really wanted to get ahead of himself.

"That would be nice," he said. And because he couldn't resist, "I suppose that makes surveillance easier for you."

Augustine rolled his eyes.

"I don't hear a denial."

"Get up," Augustine said, nudging him. "I'll put the address in your GPS."

"I'm not complaining. It's good to know you care."

Augustine leaned in so their faces were close. He looked at Cornelius's mouth, glanced back up to meet his eyes, and said, "I can think of better ways to show you that I care about you, Cornelius."

Cornelius got up.

***

Augustine came back to the living room with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

Cornelius was standing by the fireplace, looking at the photos on the mantel.

For a moment Augustine just watched him. Seeing him here wasn't something Augustine had ever really thought would happen. Even over the past couple of years, once they'd begun spending time together. Even when he'd started watching Matilda, sometimes. Now that it was happening, he just wanted to look. For a moment.

"When I moved in," he said, setting the wine and glasses down on the table, "my designer didn't want me to install a mantelat all."

Cornelius looked over his shoulder as Augustine walked up to him. The fireplace was set into a stone wall, white, with bookshelves on either side. The shelves matched the mantle, a light slab of birch wood. Augustine had a smattering of photos set up. Most of the frames were plain metal. One didn't match. It was made of thin overlapping pieces of wood, glued together at the corners. There were green-paint thumbprints on the bottom edge and a picture of his younger siblings inside. It had been a gift.

"I like it," Cornelius said. "I like the entire place."

"Does it meet your expectations?"

"Honestly I think I expected it to look like your office."

"I like my office, but not that much."

"Your office lacks certain benefits," Cornelius agreed.

He turned and wrapped an arm around Augustine's shoulders. Augustine tapped his magic to smooth any nervousness out of his face. He settled his hand low on Cornelius's back. Cornelius was very close, now. A few strands of hair had fallen across his forehead, and Augustine could smell the faint scent of … laundry detergent? That made sense. Cologne might bother the animals.

Augustine said, "I try hard to make my office welcoming when the situation calls for it. Should I install a fireplace?"

Cornelius leaned into him. The weight of his body was warm and relaxed. Augustine tightened his hold a little, which only seemed to encourage Cornelius to relax more. "I can hardly do this when I visit you at the office," he said.

"You could, if you wanted."

"I'll keep that in mind." Cornelius met his eyes. He murmured, "Are you going to kiss me?"

"I do hate saying no to you," Augustine said.

"You _love_ saying no to people," Cornelius interrupted. He laughed at whatever look was on Augustine's face, and briefly touch their foreheads together. "It's fine. It's - it's charming. I like listening to you explain why nobody else in the room has thought anything through."

Augustine decided that instead of defending himself he could just press a kiss to Cornelius's mouth. So he did.

Cornelius made a soft, pleased sound against his lips. His other arm came up to wrap around Augustine's shoulders. They were of a height, but Cornelius stopped relaxing in favor of bearing down on Augustine a little. Augustine didn't have a mind to complain about it. His shoulders bumped against the mantle. If it hadn't been there, he would've tripped over the fireplace grate. Not the sort of thing he would tell his interior designer about, if they ever crossed paths again, but satisfying all the same.

When they broke apart, Augustine decided that he should defend himself after all. "I did say that I hated saying no to _you._ Not in general."

"I consider myself lucky."

They eventually made it to the couch. (Augustine would find the wine bottle on the coffee table in the morning, unopened, and realize they'd forgotten that part. For now, neither of them noticed it.)

Augustine laid his arm across Cornelius's shoulders. Cornelius moved to lean against Augustine's chest. Tonight Cornelius wore the dark blue shirt he'd had on that night at House Lockwood. The one that made his eyes seem even brighter than usual. Augustine found himself leaning down to kiss Cornelius's shoulder. As he did, Cornelius's hand slid into his hair.

"Can I ask you something?" Cornelius asked.

"Hmm?"

"How long have you had people watching our house?"

His voice was so calm it took a second for Augustine to process the words. He winced, physically, before he could stop himself. Cornelius petted his hair a bit. It was nice enough that Augustine left his face hidden in Cornelius's shirt, even though it meant his glasses were pressing against the bridge of his nose. This was an inevitable conversation. It was some kind of miracle he'd managed to avoid it for this long. He should give in. He should sit up and look Cornelius in the eye as he explained. Cornelius would understand, hopefully. Augustine had his reasons. They were solid.

It was a very soft shirt.

The words were only a little muffled by the fabric. "It isn't… constant surveillance. Your neighbors aren't informing on you."

"That's good to know," Cornelius said. He still didn't sound angry.

Well. He had asked Augustine to kiss him. He probably wasn't angry. Someone who was angry wouldn't have made that kind of noise, or pressed his tongue into Augustine's mouth. Surely not.

"After Matilda was taken, I…" Augustine sighed. He couldn't give the rest of this speech into Cornelius's shirt collar. He sat up and squared his shoulders. "It's only sometimes. Someone will drive down the street, or park on a corner near your subdivision."

"Why sometimes?" Cornelius's head was tilted to the side. He continued to not look angry, but he did look… Not confused, exactly. Puzzled.

It was unfair to use excessive illusion magic during conversations like this. Augustine still had the urge to hide the finer points of his expression before he explained. Every time he had ordered a watch on the Harrison household, he'd had his reasons. Even with Cornelius looking at him like that, he couldn't think of an instance when he would've changed his mind and recalled the surveillance, or never sent them out in the first place. His logic was sound.

Saying it out loud was something else. He glanced up at the ceiling and back down again. "When I'm working on something especially consuming. Or travelling."

Cornelius looked at him. The puzzlement gradually faded away. "You put security on the house when I won't be able to call you for help."

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Augustine grimaced. "Hello, Cornelius. I'm going to be out of town for forty-eight hours. Your siblings are Primes, one of your closest friends is married to Mad Rogan, and you work with four separate Primes, all of whom would jump to protect you if necessary. But I'm going to have someone drive by the house a few times to make sure no one is lurking in the shadows."

It was unfair that Cornelius laughed. He bit down on it the second it bubbled up, but he still laughed. "You don't call him Mad Rogan," he protested. He touched a hand to the side of Augustine's face. "And you left out Linus."

Augustine grimaced again. Cornelius kissed him, briefly.

So he really wasn't angry.

"I do like knowing that you … worry about me," Cornelius admitted. "Sometimes it's hard to know what you're thinking. But please promise me you'll tell me if you feel the need to assign another detail. I want to know if I'm being checked on."

His first instinct was to say that there might be occasions where it wasn't safe for him to contact Cornelius. But his hesitation made Cornelius cup his hand against Augustine's jaw and tilt his face up.

"I promise I or someone from MII will tell you if we dispatch security," he said.

"Thank you."

"You could also stand to upgrade your house's internal security system," Augustine added, because he couldn't _not._

"Our security system is acceptable. You told me it was acceptable when it was installed. So did Rogan. Who I know also has the house watched sometimes, even if I can't make him admit it."

"Acceptable can be improved on."

"I have other things I'd like to improve right now," Cornelius told him. He dropped his hand to Augustine's collar and undid the first button of Augustine's shirt, then raised his eyes to check whether that was all right.

It was more than all right.

***

When Augustine got out of the shower and dried off, he pulled on a pair of cotton pajama pants and stared blankly at the counter where he normally laid his clothes while he was showering. There was nothing else there.

Frowning, he stepped into his bedroom.

Cornelius had sat down in the middle of the bed with all of Augustine's pillows at his back. His phone was in his hands. His hair was still damp. The water made it look darker, almost brown, and it stuck to his forehead where he hadn't entirely brushed it back. He smiled when he looked up at Augustine. It made his eyes light up. When he'd come out of the shower he'd had a towel wrapped around his hips. Now he wore a loose shirt.

"Ah," Augustine said. "That's where my shirt went."

"I couldn't stay in that towel."

"I suppose not. I do own more than one shirt, though."

"I did not think you would appreciate me going through all of your drawers," Cornelius said, raising his eyebrows. He set his phone aside.

Augustine gave him a look and walked over to a long dresser, above which hung a mirror. It faced away from the bed but caught the reflection of the window. Even though the curtains were drawn, it made the space feel larger. Augustine said, "I hope you don't think my best hiding place would be my bedroom dresser." He pulled on another shirt. It was white and thin and stuck damply to his shoulder where he'd apparently missed a spot while drying off.

"I have faith that if you wanted to hide something, I would never find it," Cornelius said, reassuringly.

"I'm flattered."

Augustine sat next to him, and Cornelius rested against his side. "My sister is going to take care of breakfast at the house," he said.

"Hmm." Augustine stretched and laid an arm across Cornelius's shoulders. "I hope Zeus won't be irritated with me."

"You do still owe him a treat."

"We'll have to run into each other again," Augustine said.

"Not at a Prime social, please." Cornelius shifted his weight and turned slightly, so he could rest his leg on top of Augustine's. That was nice. The casual weight of his body hardly pinned Augustine in place, but it was nice to know that Cornelius wanted him to stay put. "And not while you're in disguise. Please."

"Didn't you like my disguise?" Augustine tugged on his magic. The identity he'd worn the night of Lockwood's party settled on over his own default face.

Cornelius looked over him, his eyes settling on Augustine's now-dark ones. "This one does look very… honest," he said, managing not to grin until Augustine had finished laughing and dropped the illusion in favor of the one he wore normally. He reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair off Augustine's forehead. "But I prefer this one. I did wonder for a second, though, at the party."

"You did not."

"Yes, I did." Cornelius ran a hand along Augustine's jaw, then dropped it to rest his palm on Augustine's chest. "You were so calm. And you looked at me like you hoped I'd go along with what you were doing, which didn't make any sense from a stranger. But I thought if it was really you, you'd tell me eventually."

"Even Rogan didn't recognize me. Why didn't you say anything when I called?"

"I was distracted. And I thought maybe you were calling to set a date."

Augustine made a noise in the back of his throat.

It seemed ridiculous to tell Cornelius about Daneen's prediction. That wasn't why Augustine had accepted the invitation to dinner and he didn't want Cornelius to think that, either. All right - it may have helped narrow down a time frame. Given him justification for postponing a late afternoon meeting until next week. But Augustine had set a time because… because he enjoyed being with Cornelius. Not because Daneen had provided a forecast about his personal life.

_Purposefully using outside help, including animals, is cheating._

It wasn't like he'd decided to use Zeus on his own. Really, it was more like Zeus had just … acted as a reminder. Cornelius was still the one who'd made the first move. And since it wasn't on purpose, it wasn't as if he'd really needed arcane help to pull himself together and accept that date.

"So no running into you and Zeus in public," he said, deciding to change the subject.

Cornelius half-smiled. "You are welcome at the house, you know."

Augustine did know. But it was a nice thing to hear. "When I was a child, I had an aunt. She and her wife each snuck their cat tuna. Neither of them knew they were both doing the same thing. They always told me not to tell the other."

"Sounds like a happy cat. But I recommend string cheese for Zeus," Cornelius said.

"I will keep that in mind."

Cornelius kissed him. Augustine pulled him closer.

He ended up having to ask for help to find string cheese at the grocery store (it was not, in fact, in the cheese case), but Zeus rumbled in a way that Matilda assured him was supposed to be a purr. So at least that was a debt paid.


End file.
